A few decades back, the IT industry was migrating from the traditional data center/mainframe model to a client/server or distributed technology model. The benefits of personal computing and new, easier to use interfaces enhanced by both Microsoft and Apple were much more appealing than the typical mainframe “green screen”. Mobility happened with the introduction of the Iphone and Ipad. Small devices could be connected anywhere at anytime to your network. Internal applications were being built, but older legacy applications were not being retired. Massive computing power, in a smaller footprint, along with the ability to download and use almost any application just… happened. So, we have entered the realm of the “WILD WEST” where datacenter hosting is now called cloud… The cloud promotes a reliance on telecom and its expense… BYOD (bring your own device) has become the norm in the corporate scenario… And, we have not even discussed added complexity and global security concerns. Meanwhile, the CFO watched the IT Operations and capital budget “skyrocket” and the complexity exploded. There were warning signs to the CIO and internal IT teams, but true progress to adapt and change could not happen fast enough for the CFO and now CEO.
“We need more people”.
“We aren’t going to support all these rogue mobile platforms, are we?”
“The business bought it direct, but expect us to support it”.
“They contracted with what application cloud provider?”
“Transformation? My guys are working 24 X 7 right now just to “keep the lights on!”
Enter a true global industry
So what has happened in the last 20 years to cause the end user or line of business to be so dissatisfied with internal IT? The IT industry was shifting its services offshore for a better price point. However, due to communication gaps, the lower offshore costs led to a decline in quality with a poor customer experience. Then a question arose; how to bring them back onshore and increase the value of IT? As an answer to this question, Enterprise Integration (“EI”) was formed. EI’s charter began 20 years ago with a never ending commitment to the IT end-user experience, a focus on process discipline, and the technology prowess to deliver integrated services and solutions to their customers.
At EI they looked at how technology could eliminate repetitive tasks and streamline the service they provide, by automating anything that did not require human decision making. Intelligence and workflow management were incorporated to assist humans with the “just-in-time” data. This data enabled the employee to focus on real problems and challenges brought forth by the everchanging and complex IT environments. After the company’s inception, their approach started out small and focused, but became an obsession. Today, EI has successfully created hundreds of automated tasks that free human capital to perform more value added work further enabling themselves to compete globally at both a better price point and without sacrificing customer service.
EI exists to “Deliver the Promise of IT” –powered by combining dedicated, intelligent people with a digital robotics expert system and automated tool suites. EI is more than just an onshore IT Managed Service Provider… Their ambition is to significantly change the economic model of IT Operations through automation and digital robotics.
The Inception Story
Enterprise Integration (“EI”) was established with an aim to serve the need of onshore IT managed services. Soon, EI became a top notch service provider, delivering comprehensive solutions designed to increase user productivity, decrease risk and provide a predictable cost model for IT with world-class customer service. Founded in 1998, EI has evolved into a technology-centric company leveraging automation and digital robotics as a logical extension of its core onshore solutions: Service Desk, Security Operations, IT Asset Management – Full Lifecycle Management, Advanced Monitoring and Alert Management, IT Operations, End User/Deskside Services, Datacenter Management, Cloud Integrations and Professional IT Services – Relocation Services, Email Migrations, Vulnerability Assessments and Desktop/Infrastructure Refresh. EI has the right people, processes, and tools to provide companies with the highest quality and most flexible solutions to meet their specific needs. At EI, they do not consider monetary capital as the only asset to leverage the company to new heights, but the company as a whole with its employees, their unique tools and the facilities they provide to their customers is the prima facie of the company.
The Company
EI is a one-of-a-kind company which manages 70,000+ devices globally and has extensive experience of more than 20 years in business with a strong financial track record. EI generates more than 90% of its revenue in long-term contractual relationships and has a very solid customer base and balance sheet. They are also a trusted Homeland Security Service Provider.
The People
Employees of EI are a marvelous combination of smart and hard working individuals. They have the market’s most certified technical team holding more than 500 technical certifications with 100% of their employees being ITIL Foundations certified. At EI, they believe that good talent is hard to find, great talent is even harder. But they are dedicated to finding the best talent the industry has to offer.
The Facilities
EI is one of the crucial players in the industry, which offers world-class facilities. They have invested more than $15 million in facilities, infrastructure, redundancies and systems. The 60,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility includes a redundant unified communications infrastructure with redundant/high-speed Internet & VPN capabilities. It has two world-class, geographically dispersed data centers including a Class 4 hurricane proof and virtual call center and facilities for disaster scenarios.
The Tools
Enterprise Integration’s Office of Automation has developed revolutionary tools that simplify and automate mundane tasks, freeing up brilliant minds to focus on more strategic activities.
Service Delivery Intelligence™, or SDI™, is a symphony of skilled people, automated processes and intelligent tools harmonizing to create a simple, unified view of the entire IT supply chain. SDI™ provides comprehensive end-to-end monitoring intelligence integrated into a single system.
Digital Robotics Engine™ correlates, without human intervention, the health and delivery of data to the business, all critical components, back-end systems and reports on any and all transactions that do not adhere to the perfect threshold and is managed by SDI™. This evolution of advanced automation sits at their core of systems assurance, humanizing IT event storms to effectively manage IT in a much more competitive environment.
Indicator of Compromise™ or IOC™ empowers the service desk and security personnel to better understand the threat to the endpoint, prior to an alert. The IOC™’s proactive detection allows security engineers to stay ahead of the opposing threat, further reducing wide-spread risk in the organization.
Enterprise Integration’s Visionary Leader
Michael E. Locher, Founder and CEO of Enterprise Integration, is an industry visionary and forward-thinker. Michael founded EI in 1998 to provide world-class network and security operations with a proactive services foundation to deliver the promise of IT. In the late 1990’s, Michael realized the poor customer service and lack of reliable, consistent IT Operations the market had to offer. Believing he could deliver faster, better, stronger and affordable IT solutions in an onshore capacity, Michael began his business plan for EI. He left his corporate technology job, where he had enjoyed great success, winning more than 30 performance awards, and opened the doors of EI in 1998 with a plan and a prayer. Because of his insight, vision and dedication, and with support from the team he hand-picked to guide the company, he has grown the business from 20 people to 200, from an idea with vision to a successful company. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Michael graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee. He is a humanitarian who is committed to giving his time and resources to countless community organizations and groups. In 1996, Michael was awarded the Top Business Executive at global systems integrator Inacom Corporation. He was also voted Jacksonville Business Journal 40 under 40 in 2004, received an MSP Mentor Top 250 Influential People Award in 2006 and was voted Jacksonville Palmer Hall Businessperson of the Year for 2007. Michael recently made the MSP Mentor Locked in the NOC list. As an honoree, he will be on the list in perpetuity because of his technical, business, sales, marketing and community insights. Michael is very active in the Jacksonville community, having served as Chairman of the Board for Daniel Memorial – Florida’s oldest child-caring non-profit. He has been instrumental in guiding which organizations EI supports which include Dreams Come True, Child Cancer Fund, Northeast Florida American Red Cross and countless other local charities through sponsorship of THE PLAYERS – a PGA tournament.
Outshining Others with Unique Products and Services
There is an enormous gap in IT Asset Management (ITAM) – both hardware and software asset management. Not only are companies unable to accurately track the physical assets they deploy within the enterprise, the software is even harder to track. Then, incorporate the consumerization of technology tablets, smartphones and the ‘IoT’ devices such as climate controls, security systems and an infinite number of others there is not a single tool that can provide validation and verification of the use and usability. Hence, EI has internally developed the tools to track and report on these devices whenever and wherever they connect to the network or internet. That data feeds through our Digital Robotics Engine to allow us to update a single centralized ITAM system with hardware, software and system health data as well as apply automation to remediate issues that may occur. This starts at the time of purchase and is tracked throughout its entire lifecycle. – Asserts Mr. Locher.
Awards and Accolades
Enterprise Integration has received numerous awards and recognition for their core onshore offerings:
- CRN’s Solutions Provider 500 (2017)
- CRN’s Managed Service Provider 500 (2015-2017)
- CRN’s Service Provider 500 (2015-2017) • CRN’s Tech Elite 150 (2015-2017)
- Honorary Member of the Institute for Robotic Automation & Artificial Intelligence (IRPA)
- Revolutionizing IT Service Experience Through Automation and Digital Robotics
- Jacksonville Business Journal
- Best in Biz Award 2015, Most Innovative Company of the Year
- BizTech Innovation of the Year 2015
- 2015 Best of Jacksonville Awards for Best in Business Consultants
- 2016 Best of Jacksonville Awards for Computer System Designers & Consultants
- Michael E. Locher, 2014 Ultimate CEO
- Michael E. Locher, Best CEO of a Technology Company 2014
- MSP Mentor Global Awards (2008-2015)
- 22nd Global Edition Managed Service Provider 250
- 14th Largest North America Managed Service Provider
- 11th Devices Managed
- 11th Large 2 of the Top 250 Influential People in MSP Industry: Mike Locher and Tracey Brown
- Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist (2014, 2015 & 2016)
- Computer World Award
- Field First Initiative with CSX awarded 1 of the top 5 projects in the world
- Inc. Magazine (2008 – 2015)
- Top 5000 fastest-growing private companies
- Palmer Hall Business Person of the year, Michael Locher, CEO and Founder
EI’s Future Road Map
As an organization that wants to adapt and adopt as fast as the industry itself is moving, creating a continual learning organization has been the biggest challenge for EI. There are many moving pieces, both inside and outside of IT that are going to have be accounted for and managed from one central location. In the next 10 years, all these devices are going to fit under IT’s purview in management. So, EI has accepted the challenge of building an industry-leading talent within the organization to adapt and adopt this new purview.
Website:-www.entint.com
Email:-info@entint.com
